5th Annual Frames of Mind Mental Health Film Festival
The Institute of Mental Health, UBC Department of Psychiatry and Pacific Cinematheque present:
| Thursday May 8 | Friday May 9 | Saturday May 10 | Sunday May 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 pm A Summer in the Cage |
7:30 pm To Love Someone |
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Crash Landing |
7:30 pm Devil Plays Hardball |
| 7:30 pm Mad Detective |
All screenings and workshops at Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street, Downtown Vancouver
Tickets: Adult: $9.50; Seniors/Students: $8.00. Tickets available at the door or online at www.cinematheque.bc.ca. Advance tickets available online only.
For more info contact (604) 688-8202 or go to www.cinematheque.bc.ca/framesofmind/
Thursday, May 8 — 7:30 pm
Vancouver Premiere! Director in Attendance!
A SUMMER IN THE CAGE
USA, 2007. Director: Ben Selkow
The growth and, ultimately, the explosive demise of the friendship between a documentary filmmaker and his embattled subject is the framework for A Summer in the Cage. The film began with a chance meeting between filmmaker Ben Selkow and subject Sam Murchison in the summer of 2000. What began as a collaborative effort to document life around Manhattan’s West 4th Street basketball courts — affectionately known as “the Cage” — evolved into a portrait of Sam’s battle with mental illness. The film begins before Sam, in his early thirties, is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder; it then follows him through a seven-year battle with delusional manic episodes, paralyzing depressions, and the legacy of a father, also with Bipolar Disorder, who committed suicide when Sam was eight. As this dramatic story unfolds and comes to an explosive head, it also becomes a unique tale about friendship and the ethical responsibilities of a documentary filmmaker. As Sam’s life deteriorates on screen, it raises the question: are the wider benefits of making the film worthwhile if the very process of making the documentary may be damaging the subject? “Probably the world’s first guy movie about manic depression, A Summer in the Cage is also an exceptional and deeply humanizing look at Bipolar Disorder. A haunting film about the power and the limits of a friendship to save a good man from his inner demons” (Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone) Colour, DigiBeta video. 82 mins.
Post-screening discussion with Ben Selkow, Dr Erin Michalak, and Dr. Roland Atkinson
Ben Selkow is the writer, director, producer, and cinematographer of A Summer in the Cage, which was recently nominated for a 2008 PRISM Award, given for accurate depictions of addiction and mental illness in film and television. A native of Montreal who now lives in New York City, he first became interested in film after his mother, a psychologist, was featured in the National Film Board of Canada documentary L’Interdit (1976), about an alternative commune for treating patients with schizophrenia. He is currently producing Onward Christian Soldier, a feature-length documentary film about U.S. domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph.
Dr. Erin Michalak is an Assistant Professor in the Mood Disorder Centre in the Department of Psychiatry at UBC. She specializes in the study of Bipolar Disorder and quality of life, and leads the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research—funded Collaborative RESearch Team for the Study of Psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder (CREST.BD) group.
Dr. Roland Atkinson is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University (see “Crash Landing” workshop for description for a more detailed bio). TBC
Co-sponsored by the Mood Disorders Association of B.C.
Friday, May 9 — 7:30 pm
Vancouver Premiere!
TO LOVE SOMEONE (Den Man Älskar)
Sweden, 2007. Director: Åke Sandgren
Cast: Jonas Karlsson, Rolf Lassgård, Sofia Ledarp, Camilla Larsson, Gustav Hammarsten
This searing drama follows a couple whose seemingly happy existence is shattered when the woman’s abusive ex-husband is released from prison. Terrible beatings from Hannes (Jonas Karlsson) landed Lena (the outstanding Sofia Ledarp) in hospital and Hannes in jail. Years later, Lena has moved on with life, and lives contentedly with older, somewhat dull Alf (Rolf Lassgård), a fishmonger in whose shop she also works. While in prison, Hannes undergoes extensive therapy, and upon release believes himself to be rehabilitated. Although a restraining order prohibits him from contacting Lena, he writes her a letter to apologize for all he has done to her. Lena begins meeting her guilt-ridden ex in secret — initially to avenge herself, but the situation soon grows more complicated. Lena’s feelings for Hannes are rekindled, friends and family are dismayed, and Alf is powerless to stop the love of his life slipping through his fingers. With a deliberate pace and sombre tone evocative of Ingmar Bergman, the film picks up speed as the story careens toward its catastrophic conclusion. Featuring stand-out performances from all three leads, especially the luminous Ledarp in the complicated role of Lena, To Love Someone is a complex, decidedly unsentimental look at obsessive love and the psychological ramifications of abusive relationships. Colour, Digibeta, in Swedish with English subtitles. 92 mins.
Post-screening discussion with Dr. Harry Stefanakis and Ninu Kang.
Dr. Harry Stefanakis is a registered psychologist with more than 15 years experience working with men who have assaulted their partners. He is currently the chairperson of the Ending Relationship Abuse Society of BC and sits on the Provincial Community Coordination for Women’s Safety Committee.
Ninu Kang is Director of Family Programs at MOSAIC, a non—profit organization that provides integration services to immigrants and refugees in the Lower Mainland. Her training in Counselling Psychology, interest in cultural adaptation of mainstream counselling models, and work as an activist in the field of violence against women have motivated her to take a lead in providing support services to women who experience violence and facilitating treatment programs for abusive men from a culturally specific perspective.
Co-sponsored by the Ending Relationship Abuse Society of BC and MOSAIC.
Saturday, May 10 — 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Workshop
Discussion + Screening
CRASH LANDING
Trauma, Homecoming and Their Aftermath Following Military Service Abroad
Studies have shown that 15 percent or more of combat veterans suffer from lingering, clinically significant emotional and behavioural problems suffi cient to warrant the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after military service. All too typical problems include distressing memories and dreams, anxiety, insomnia, social alienation and isolation, marital discord, and, occasionally, violent acts. Common complications can include divorce, unemployment, substance abuse, depression, and suicide. The impact of these problems on the post—service lives of former combatants, and on the well—being of their families, can be enormous. In his 2005 documentary film Crash Landing, Montreal director Luc Côté explores the psychosocial consequences of war trauma, focusing on five Canadians whose lives have been seriously compromised by their encounters with peril during international “peacekeeping” missions. Using the film as a launching point for professional presentations and audience discussion, the workshop will consider, principally from Canadian and American perspectives, the problems of post-war adjustment faced by military personnel. Canada 2005. Director: Luc Côté. 52 mins.
Workshop participants: Dr. Roland Atkinson and Dr. Diane McIntosh.
Dr. Roland Atkinson is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University. He writes a monthly column on film for Clinical Psychiatry News, and maintains two film review websites. For 20 years, Dr. Atkinson served at the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland, where he was involved in the treatment of combat veterans of WWII and the Korean and Vietnam wars. His son, a soldier, is currently deployed in the Sunni Triangle area of Iraq, west of Baghdad.
Dr. Diane McIntosh is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. She has a busy private practice and clinical research program and is consultant psychiatrist for the Vancouver Association of Survivors of Torture. Prior to moving to B.C. in 2004, Dr. McIntosh was staff psychiatrist at the Nova Scotia Hospital and later the Clinical Director of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic for the Department of National Defence at Canadian Forces Base Stadacona.
Co-sponsored by Amnesty International Canada — Pacific Regional Office.
Saturday, May 10 — 7:30 pm
MAD DETECTIVE
(Shen Tan)
Hong Kong, 2007. Directors: Wai Ka—fai, Johnnie To
Cast: Lau Ching Wan, Andy On, Lam Ka Tung, Gordon Lam, Kelly Lin
Hong Kong action icon Johnnie To (Election) and frequent collaborator Wai Ka—fai (Running on Karma) co—direct this complex, edge—of—your—seat tale of crime and madness. Hotshot Regional Crime Unit Inspector Ho (Andy On) has been investigating, with little success, a series of heists and murders apparently connected to a missing police pistol and its vanished owner. Ho figures his last chance at cracking the case is to enlist the help of his mentor and former boss Bun (Lau Ching—wan), who was recognized as a preternaturally gifted criminal profiler — until he went mad several years ago. (Bun, at a superior’s farewell party, sliced off his own ear and offered it as a present.) Bun has the gift to see into a person’s “inner personalities,” or hidden demons. For Bun, this is the key to unlocking a killer’s identity, for it is these demons that expose a criminals’ real intentions, allowing Bun to solve mysteries that no—one else can. Five years into his forced retirement, Bun is convinced to return by Ho, who is desperate to solve the case and move forward in his career. But Ho’s belief in Bun’s abilities is soon tested by the retired detective’s increasingly bizarre and irrational behaviour. Is Bun really crazy, or just crazy like a fox? Colour, DVD, in Cantonese with English subtitles. 89 mins.
Post—screening discussion with Dr. Hiram Mok.
Dr Mok is a Clinical Associate Professor with the UBC Department of Psychiatry. He serves as a Consultant Psychiatrist at the UBC Mood Disorder Centre and the VGH Cross Cultural Outpatient Clinic, where he provides care to Cantonese—speaking patients. He is actively involved in clinical patient care, teaching, and research.
Co—sponsored by the Chinese Mental Health Program, Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver—Burnaby Branch; and the UBC Dept of Psychiatry Cross—Cultural Psychiatry Program and S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
Sunday, May 11 — 7:30 pm
Director in Attendance!
DEVIL PLAYS HARDBALL
Canada, 2008. Director: Nijole Kuzmickas
Devil Plays Hardball documents a unique and controversial social experiment aimed at making positive changes in Vancouver’s homeless population — one step, and one person, at a time. Four mentors, all accomplished and compassionate individuals, were given the challenge of helping four homeless individuals realize their dreams and get off the streets. Ads were placed on Craigslist and on shelter and hostel notice boards to solicit participants; the filmmakers were surprised by the overwhelming number of responses, from potential mentors and the homeless, they received. Michael, a longtime heroin addict who sleeps rough in tony Yaletown, “auditions” and chooses as his mentor Brent, an idealistic young lawyer with a large Vancouver firm. Amanda, 17, and her boyfriend Adrian, 24, two high—school drop—outs lost in the big city, are matched up with Susan, a professional fundraiser and mother of four grown children. Danse, a struggling Aboriginal artist and friendly fixture on Commercial Drive, is paired with Mike, an IT consultant and community activist. Erika, a former bank teller who lives in a downtown bus shelter and only communicates through writing, is mentored by Nijole Kuzmickas, director of this documentary. The provocative film follows each pairing over a ten—month period; the pitfalls are considerable, as the mentors learn that people end up living on the streets for a complex variety of reasons, and being homeless means more than just not having a place to live. Colour, DigiBeta video. 63 mins.
Post-screening discussion with Nijole Kuzmickas and Dr. Stan deVlaming.
Nijole Kuzmickas, director of Devil Plays Hardball, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose honours include a Leo Award for Best Direction of an Information Program and a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Social Documentary. She began her career more than 20 years ago with the CBC, and in recent years she has devoted herself to documentaries on social justice issues, with particular emphasis on housing, poverty, and drugs in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Her Golden Sheaf-winning documentary From Grief to Action (2002) focuses on four families struggling to keep their drug-addicted children alive while at the same time lobbying for public policy change.
Dr. Stan deVlaming has been a physician working in the downtown eastside for over 15 years. He is currently the Medical Director for Inner City Primary Health Care for Vancouver Coastal and a Clinical Assistant Professor with the UBC Faculty of Medicine. He has also been an Addictions Consultant at St. Paul’s hospital for more than 15 years, and former head of the hospital’s addictions services.
Many Thanks To Our Festival Sponsors:
Presenting Sponsors: UBC Dept of Psychiatry, UBC Institute of Mental Health, Pacific Cinematheque
Media Sponsor: Channel M
Co—sponsors: Vancouver Coastal Health Authority; Mood Disorders Association of BC; Amnesty International Canada — Pacific Regional Office; Ending Relationship Abuse Society of BC; Chinese Mental Health Program, Canadian Mental Health Association; Vancouver—Burnaby Branch and the UBC Dept of Psychiatry Cross—Cultural Psychiatry Program; S.U.C.C.E.S.S.; MOSAIC.
All screenings and workshops at Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street, Downtown Vancouver
Tickets: Adult: $9.50; Seniors/Students: $8.00. Tickets available at the door or online at www.cinematheque.bc.ca. Advance tickets available online only.
For more info contact (604) 688-8202 or go to www.cinematheque.bc.ca/framesofmind/